What are 5 examples of values?

What passing on values means: definition and context

Passing on values is the process by which adults and institutions intentionally teach, model, and reinforce character and social behaviors that guide choices and relationships. According to CASEL, values such as empathy, responsibility, honesty, and respect are treated as teachable competencies within social-emotional learning frameworks, which frame those skills as explicit learning goals for children and youth CASEL, What is SEL.

In practice, passing on values usually happens across settings. Schools add classroom instruction and structured activities, families provide modelling through everyday routines, and communities create expectations and service opportunities that reinforce lessons from home and school. UNESCO guidance recommends combining explicit curriculum components with community and family engagement to support value transmission UNESCO Global Citizenship Education.

How educators and researchers define values within SEL

Researchers and practitioners who work with SEL define values as competencies that can be taught alongside skills such as emotional regulation and relationship-building. That framing treats values as observable behaviors and decision-making patterns that programs can target, rather than as purely private beliefs, which helps design classroom activities and assessment approaches CASEL, What is SEL.

Why families and schools both matter for transmission

Families and schools play complementary roles: schools can provide explicit instruction and peer-learning environments, while families provide ongoing reinforcement and the daily modelling that makes lessons stick. UNICEF guidance and related family-support resources recommend blending age-appropriate conversations at home with structured learning opportunities in schools to help children link values to daily choices UNICEF Parenting Guidance.

Why passing on values matters: evidence from schools and public guidance

The strongest, most often-cited evidence for school-based values education comes from meta-analytic work on SEL programs. A foundational meta-analysis found that well-implemented, school-based social and emotional learning programs produce measurable improvements in social behavior and academic outcomes, which supports the idea that classroom-based values education can affect observable behaviors Child Development meta-analysis. See a recent review of the state of evidence on PubMed.

That research finding is important for parents and educators because it ties explicit instruction to short-term changes in social interactions and classroom performance, but it does not mean every curriculum produces the same results. Implementation quality, training, and ongoing reinforcement influence how reliably programs work Child Development meta-analysis.

Public-health and parenting guidance align with these school findings by emphasizing simple, repeatable practices at home that make values teaching concrete. Resources from public health agencies recommend clear rules, specific praise for target behaviors, and age-appropriate conversations as ways caregivers can reinforce lessons from school and home life CDC Parent Resources.

At the policy level, international education bodies also stress coordination. UNESCO and other agencies recommend programs that link classroom learning with community service and family engagement to reinforce values beyond single lessons, while also noting that evidence on long-term transfer to adult civic and workplace behavior remains incomplete UNESCO Global Citizenship Education.

A practical framework for passing on values at home and in school

An evidence-informed framework used by educators and development agencies has three complementary components: explicit instruction, adult modelling, and routine reinforcement. UNESCO and UNICEF both advise combining those elements so children see consistent messages across contexts UNESCO Global Citizenship Education.

Explicit instruction means teaching the value directly, naming it, discussing why it matters, and using short activities to practice the behavior. Adult modelling means caregivers and teachers demonstrate the value in real interactions. Routine reinforcement builds small, repeatable practices into daily life so the behavior becomes familiar. UNICEF parenting advice highlights these three approaches as mutually supporting ways to pass on values UNICEF Parenting Guidance.

How these components appear in everyday practice varies by age and setting. In an elementary classroom, explicit instruction may take the form of brief role-play and teacher-led reflection. In a family, modelling may be saying sorry and explaining why, followed by consistent routines such as a weekly family meeting to reflect on choices. CASEL explains how SEL core competencies map to classroom activities and helps teachers plan explicit lessons CASEL, What is SEL.

When families and schools coordinate, the three components reinforce each other. For example, a lesson on empathy in class followed by a family discussion and an at-home practice activity creates multiple opportunities for a child to link the concept to actual behavior, consistent with practitioner guidance on combining settings for stronger learning Making Caring Common resources.

Three complementary components: instruction, modelling, routines

1. Instruction: Define the target value, use short activities and discussions, and practice specific behaviors in safe settings. 2. Modelling: Adults show the behavior and narrate their choices. 3. Routines: Build simple rituals that cue the desired behavior, such as family check-ins or classroom reflection prompts. Each element is actionable and can be scaled by age and setting UNESCO Global Citizenship Education.

How to adapt the framework by age and setting

Choosing methods: decision criteria for parents and educators

Selecting methods requires attention to developmental fit, consistency, cultural fit, and feasibility in the local context. UNICEF guidance suggests evaluating whether a practice is age-appropriate and whether adults across settings can support it consistently UNICEF Parenting Guidance.

Practical feasibility is also crucial. Large class sizes, limited training time for teachers, or irregular family routines influence which activities are realistic. The CDC and other public-health resources recommend simple, low-burden practices for caregivers that can be sustained over time, such as short conversations and specific praise CDC Parent Resources.

Early childhood methods should prioritise concrete modelling and routines, like shared reading with discussion prompts. For adolescents, methods can include reflective journaling paired with service opportunities and classroom deliberation. These age-tailored choices align with guidance that stresses developmental appropriateness for effective passing on values UNICEF Parenting Guidance.

Short checklist to evaluate a method for fit: 1) Is it developmentally appropriate? 2) Can adults in school and home implement it consistently? 3) Does it align with local cultural norms? 4) Is it feasible given time and resources? Use these questions to choose between activities and curricula CASEL, What is SEL.

Five clear examples of values and how to show them in daily life

Below are five values that SEL frameworks and practitioner resources commonly highlight, each followed by a brief, practical activity adults can use immediately. These examples draw on CASEL definitions and practitioner activity lists rather than claims about long-term outcomes CASEL, What is SEL.

1) Empathy. Description: Noticing and trying to understand how another person feels. Daily activity: After a shared story or event, ask a child to name how two characters or people might feel and what they could do to help. This short reflection helps link emotion recognition to helpful choices, a common classroom and home exercise in SEL materials Making Caring Common resources.

2) Responsibility. Description: Following through on obligations to others and oneself. Daily activity: Give children one consistent household task and a simple checklist to track completion, then praise specific steps they took. Practical parenting tips recommend pairing clear expectations with simple tracking routines to reinforce responsibility CDC Parent Resources.

3) Honesty. Description: Telling the truth and acknowledging mistakes. Daily activity: Model brief, matter-of-fact admissions when adults make a mistake, and prompt children to describe what happened and how they might make it right. Practitioner guides recommend modelling admissions and restorative steps to teach honesty Making Caring Common resources.

4) Respect. Description: Treating others as worthy of consideration and honoring boundaries. Daily activity: Use a simple script for disagreements that includes listening time, naming the other person s point, and proposing one compromise. Classroom role-play or family practice of that script supports respectful exchanges CASEL, What is SEL.

5) Caring. Description: Demonstrating concern through helpful actions. Daily activity: Encourage a weekly small service task, like helping a neighbor or classroom clean-up, and reflect afterwards on how the action affected someone else. Service and reflection are commonly recommended ways to connect values to tangible actions UNESCO Global Citizenship Education.

Common mistakes and pitfalls when trying to pass on values

Vague praise is a frequent pitfall. Saying yes good job without naming the specific behavior does not give children a clear model of what to repeat. UNICEF and practitioner resources recommend specific praise that names the action, such as saying For sharing your toy with your sister, thank you for being considerate UNICEF Parenting Guidance.

Another common error is inconsistent routines. If adults do not follow through on agreed rules or model the value only sometimes, children receive mixed messages and learning is slower. The solution is to simplify routines and select a few consistent practices that all caregivers use CDC Parent Resources.

Relying on one-off activities without ongoing reinforcement is also ineffective. A single lesson or event is unlikely to change behavior unless it is followed by modelling and routine practice. Practitioner materials stress repeating activities and linking them to real choices to increase their practical relevance Making Caring Common resources.

Finally, school-home mismatch can undermine learning. If school messages conflict with family expectations, children may be confused. Coordination and communication between teachers and caregivers help align expectations and create consistent reinforcement across contexts, a recommendation echoed in international guidance UNESCO Global Citizenship Education.

Measuring progress and adapting: what evidence can and cannot tell us

Short-term indicators that parents and teachers can observe include clearer social interactions, fewer repeated conflicts, named behaviors such as taking turns, and increased classroom participation. The meta-analysis on SEL used similar short-term outcome measures to assess program impact, and these observable signs are practical ways to document early change Child Development meta-analysis.

Simple documentation methods include brief teacher notes, a short family journal entry after a weekly reflection, or a shared checklist parents and teachers use to note target behaviors. These low-burden techniques make it easier to see trends without formal testing CASEL, What is SEL.

At the same time, evidence is limited about long-term transfer from school-taught values to adult civic and workplace behavior. Researchers note gaps in longitudinal data and call for more studies to determine which combinations of home, school and community interventions produce durable adult outcomes Child Development meta-analysis.

Use the short-term indicators to guide adaptations. If an approach does not produce clear changes after several weeks, adjust the routine, increase modelling, or simplify expectations rather than abandoning the goal entirely UNICEF Parenting Guidance.

Practical resources and tools parents and teachers can use

Reputable starting points include CASEL s resources on SEL curricula, UNICEF s parenting pages, CDC parent tips, and Making Caring Common guidance for families and schools, the Learning Policy Institute report Evidence for Social and Emotional Learning in Schools, an overview at CASEL What Does the Research Say?, and related content on this site educational freedom. These sources provide examples of activities, lesson outlines, and advice on adapting materials to age and context CASEL, What is SEL.

How to use these resources responsibly: check the primary source for curriculum aims, match activities to your child s development, and pilot small routines before scaling them. International guidance encourages adaptation to local culture while keeping core pedagogical principles intact UNESCO Global Citizenship Education. See our homepage Michael Carbonara.

If you are a teacher, look for SEL modules that include teacher training and measurement guidance. If you are a caregiver, use short home routines linked to classroom topics so the child encounters consistent expectations across settings CDC Parent Resources.

Conclusion: a short, practical plan to start passing on values today

Four-step checklist to begin: 1) Choose one value to focus on and define it in simple terms. 2) Use one short instructional activity this week and model the behavior daily. 3) Build a single routine that reinforces the behavior. 4) Record brief observations for two to four weeks and adjust as needed. These steps reflect SEL and parenting guidance on explicit instruction, modelling, routines, and measurement CASEL, What is SEL.

Expect improvements in short-term behaviors and classroom interactions if practices are consistent, but be cautious about long-term promises. The evidence supports short-term change under good implementation, while longer-term adult outcomes remain an open research question Child Development meta-analysis.

This article is intended to inform readers, provide sources for further reading, and offer practical starting points rather than to promise outcomes or advocate for specific political positions. See the About page About.